St. Paul daily globe., 1887-05-09

the members of our finest society the
members of our churches, the ministers
of the gospel, the teachers III our
Sunday schools, goes into incir
hearts and ask them, do you believe
in Christ? Have you given your hearI
to Him? Does He live within you?
Have you in prayer and tears, Win u
crushed and humbed heart sought ana
found mercy and forgiveness ut lils
feet?" And if you have not-no niattef
u you don't drink, don't swear, dolft
use tobaccO-He tells you that yonf
heart is evil, because you have not pfep
willing to give it to Christ. You l9ye
the world and sin and reject Christ, ana
you are Il condemned sinner, ana
publicans and harlotS shall go peF
fore you into the kingdom OF Gpa'
The world does not know what rlgnt7
eouSneSs before God is. Look AGAIN al
the Jews! Their righteousness was lhe
righteousness of the Scri5es and Ph9rl-
sees, observing the title 0f the law, en-
tirely misunderstanding its spirit, Keep
ing their cltheS clean, while their ieilflSs
were unclean, paying their tltheS ara
giving literally to the temple, wihle
they defrauded widows and orphaflS.
On these works they relied. IL Is
miserable, ragged, filthy, s'lnhtps
liSilCOuSllCSS. w nO Will NNiS ~ ~
fore the eternal God and hold up hlS
works before Him and say, Give me
what | have deserved" when his secret
sins, his hypocrisy, his evil heart Will
cry in his ear, Thou. hast
deserved help" Oh, my friends,
if you trust in these things,
in being member of the church, pay
ing the minister's salary, attending the
service and communion, you build on
sand and your hopes Will topple over
when the storms of death and Judgment
come. There is but one righteous
ness. That "Christ has gone to the
Father with His perfect sacrifice, that
he has laid down before the Father the
full payment for all your sins and pleads
your cause as your advocate with God.
This, and this alone, is your righteous
ness before God. And of Judgment,
because the prince of this world IS
judged. The world believes this
prince rules the world-MoAey,
power, inventions, etc. We con-
fess: There is the kingdom"
Christ rules. He sitteth at the right
hand of God and cometh with the
clouds. The world and its prince has
time and again StOrmed the little citadel
of God, to trample under feet. The
world is against the cross to-day; would
liHiil II llo lNNti II IL NftiNN, Wy
don't they do it? They are in the major
ity; the prince Of this world is judged,
the hand of Christ is laid on upon his
neck, and in spite of his wrath the
gospel spreads, the church grows, the
kingdom comes, the heathenS are
gathered in, the Jews return; it is the
work of the spirit. Where the spirit of
God goes forth the prince OF this
world must retreat.
And what means does he use? The
spirit leads in the battle. Who are the
soldiers, heroes, through which he gains
the victory? He chose the weak dis
ciples, full of sorrow, fear and trem-
bling, Look at them, filled with the
spirit of God. The old world sinks in
ruins before them. and on its ruins
rises new world, the church of Christ,
and when they die new witnesses fill
their places, new heroes go into the bat
tie. The testimony of the spirit can
never be silent till the world is laid at
| the feet of Christ.